DESCRIPTION: State the application's broad, long-term objectives and specific aims, making reference to the health relatedness of the project Describe concisely the research design and methods for achieving these goals. Avoid summaries of past accomplishments and the use of the first person. This abstract is meant to serve as a succinct and accurate description of the proposed work when separated from the application. If the application is funded, this description, as is, will become public information. Therefore, do not include proprietary/confidential information. DO NOT EXCEED THE SPACE PROVIDED. Designed to address a lack of diversity in clinical research education at Harvard Medical School, the Scholars in Clinical Science Program (SCSP) was developed to provide a formal educational opportunity for individuals interested in careers in patient-oriented research. The SCSP is a two-year postgraduate imaster's-level program consisting of didactic courses, a weekly longitudinal seminar series, and a mentored clinical research project. Upon completion of the program, the trainee is awarded a Master of Medical i Sciences degree from Harvard Medical School. The SCSP's philosophy is that the training needs of clinical !investigators are analogous to those of bench scientists, in that formal instruction in basic methodologies and individual mentoring in a specific research project are critical factors in career and skill development. This concept is shared by all forms of clinical investigation, although differences in implementation of some elements may exist. Translational, patient-oriented research differs from population-oriented research in the greater use of techniques to rigorously control the environment, as provided by a General Clinical Research Center; procedures to assess the responsiveness of organ systems in both adults and children; and special methodologies including phenotype/genotype correlations and gene therapy. Also, the SCSP emphasizes the importance of developing skilled pediatric investigators, since too few well-trained pediatric researchers exist to meet current needs and research in pediatric patients has unique challenges. Four key features of the SCSP are (1) didactic courses in biostatistics, ethics, epidemiology, study design, informatics, other core disciplines, and a weekly seminar expressly developed for individuals pursuing careers in translational research; (2) an applied research project supervised by a faculty mentor; (3) rigorous tutelage over two years during which trainees have limited clinical responsibilities and extensive protected time; and (4) broad support for the career development of researchers during training and in the early years thereafter. PERFORMANCE SITE(S) (organization, city, state) Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Boston, MA Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA Children's Hospital, Boston, MA Harvard Business School, Boston, MA Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA KEY PERSONNEL. See instructions. Use continuation pages as needed to provide the required information Start with Principal Investigator. List all other key personnel in alphabetical order, last name first. Name Organization Williams, Gordon H. Harvard Medical School Celedon, Juan Brigham and Women's Hospital Conlin, Paul Brigham and Women's Hospital Golan, David Harvard Medical School Kuntz, Richard Brigham and Women's Hospital Lehmann, Lisa Brigham and Women's Hospital Mantzoros, Christos Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Schachter, Steven Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in the format shown below. Role on Project Program Director Course Leader Course Leader Course Leader Course Leader Course Leader Course Leader Course Leader Disclosure Permission Statement. Applicable to SBIR/STTR Only. See instructions. [] Yes [] No PHS 398 (Rev. 05/01) Page 2 Number pages consecutively at the bottom throughout Form Page 2 the application. Do not use suffixes such as 2a, 2b_ Principal InvestigatorProgram Director (Last, First, Middle): WILLIAMS, GORDON H. The name of the principal investigator/program director must be provided at the top of each printed page and each continuation page. RESEARCH GRANT